DIY & Crafts

Small Bathroom Tile Ideas – Bigger And Better Look

by craftmin | December 23, 2017

Bathrooms are an essential part of any house and, because we do our personal hygiene activities here, it is only fitting to maintain it as clean as possible. The appearance of your bathroom can also let people know the quality of your personal hygiene. Since it’s almost always just a small space in the house, we often get stuck when thinking about improving it, so here we collected a list of small bathroom tile ideas that we think you will love. From regular square tiles to mosaic style, the design possibilities are endless!

Small Bathroom Tile Ideas

Add personality and make a statement with your choice of tile design and material. Make your favorite house space look big and bright with these small bathroom tile ideas.

Some Tiling Tips

There’s another reason for adding tiles to your bathroom, aside from just making it prettier. You know how small bathrooms get wet all the time? When properly laid out, tiles serve as a waterproof barrier from splashes and splatters. Because there are so many styles and materials to choose from, it can be hard to find one to suit your bathroom needs.

For these small bathroom tile ideas, attention is often focused on the flooring. DIYers who want to give tiling a try usually start with small spaces, so the small bathroom is the ideal place to try your skills. Everything from laying the cement board, mortaring and cutting tiles to grouting can be learned in this DIY project.

There are no hard rules to follow when tiling small bathrooms. Here are some tips to consider to achieve a certain bathroom look and to help you have a successful first-time bathroom tiling experience.

1. Tile layout

Did you know that there are ways to make your small bathroom space look bigger, longer or wider? No matter what tile design you choose, diagonally laid out floor tiles will make your small bathroom appear bigger. The illusion of a bigger room is because of the 90-degree orientation which makes it hard for the subconscious mind to calculate just how many tiles you hav. In addition, the natural chaos of these diagonally laid out floor tiles add flare to cute little bathrooms.

However, this fun layout offers DIYers a bit of a challenge. Tiles are difficult to cut this way, and with one wrong cut it’s bye-bye tile. But now it is easier to make it work, with a tool called TileRight MeasureRight. Check out this video for how this tool is used to cutt tiles that will fit perfectly into even the most challenging spots.

2. Opt for light colors

This is an essential tip of home decorating: if you want to open up a room, making it appear bigger and brighter, use lighter colors. If you want otherwise, use darker ones. This is the reason why ceilings are mostly white or painted in light shades. But this doesn’t mean you cannot use dark tiles for your bathroom flooring. Some dark accents won’t hurt, just make sure that the dark tones don’t overpower the light.

Look how it worked out in this bathroom from Homebody in Motion. The dark accents made the light colored tiles, and the whole bathroom, look even brighter. Don’t forget to use a similar-coloured grout to the tile to avoid that limiting feel.

3. Tile size

Will large tiles work for smaller bathrooms? Well, they acctually can work wonders! The minimum grout lines they give provide a bigger-looking bathroom space and reduce that cramped feel. But bear in mind that larger tiles are more prone to cracking. How do we avoid these cracks? Make sure you have the ideal, minimum grout joint width and that there is maximum mortar contact under your tiles.

What do you think of these large and beautiful tiles from Bedrosian’s?

Tiny Tiles, Anyone?

If everyone would like to make their bathrooms look bigger with large tiles, what happens to the small tiles? We can never limit house owners, especially DIYers, with this list of small bathroom tile ideas. With so many options to choose from, it can be quite hard to decide which style to pick. But if you are more inclined towards the classic style, maybe consider mosaic tiles which will add that stylish and contemporary vibes to your bathroom.

Mosaic tiles will give the most grout lines in tiling projects. 1″ square tile produces 10 times as many grout lines than a 12″ square tile. If you still want the mosaic tiles in your bathroom, consider this: tint the grout as closely as possible to the tile color. This minimizes the grid-like feel and improves space flow, like in this photo from Modwalls.

Porcelain Or Ceramic?

Which tile should it be, porcelain or ceramic? They are often mistaken as the same, but they are in fact very different. Ceramic tiles are produced from natural-colored red, brown and white clay which is baked at temperatures high enough to reduce the water content to a certain level. A patterned glaze is then applied as the finishing touch. Porcelain tiles are produced in the same way as ceramic, but only the white clay is used.

In recent years, PTCA or the Porcelain Tile Certification Association said that only tiles made in a specific way can be certified as “porcelain.” The permeability of the tile ultimately dictates whether it’s classed as ceramic or porcelain and so all tiles are subject to a water absorption test to determine how porous they are.

Porcelain tiles have a lower water absorption rate of 0.5% as defined by tile regulating authorities which makes it the ideal tile for tiny bathrooms prone to splashed. Do you find this porcelain tiled bathroom from Mission Stone & Tile beautiful, too?

At a glance: Ceramic and Porcelain tiles

Let us finish up this list of small bathroom tile ideas with School of Tile‘s comparison of ceramic and porcelain tiles. We hope this helps you decide between the two.

Ceramic Tiles

Construction: Red, brown or white clay; softer, less dense

Pro’s: easier to cut, cheaper

Con’s: Absorbs more water (prone to cracking in cold weather), more prone to stains, less stain resistant, less hard-wearing

Best used for: Walls, areas with little moisture, areas with light footfall or abrasion

Cost: Cheaper

Color: Color only on glaze, different underneath

Ease of use: Easier to cut

Suitable for exterior use: No

Porcelain Tiles

Construction: White clay, sand, feldspar; harder, more dense

Pro’s: Absorbs less water, stain resistant, more hardwearing

Con’s: More expensive, trickier to cut and shape, more brittle

Best used for: Areas with higher moisture levels, areas with higher footfall or abrasion